Grandparent Double Date/Cooking

Good Thursday morning and Happy New Year!

Wow! I'm really coming up in the blogging world. Four comments yesterday. Of course, I had to walk one of the girls through the complexities of blog comments, but she's on board now, so I'm expecting great things from her!!

And it was great to hear from Dawn from the Inn. I hope your little guy has a great birthday party!

I have also added not one, but two, more mantle pictures. Look for a couple more tea pics tomorrow, and then I'll pick another topic. I don't want you to get tired of tea photos. The fact that we've hung in there for ten years is pretty amazing. Four of our ten could not attend this year, but of the six of us shown in the first picture, five of us have never missed (one of them being me). I jokingly said several years ago anyone who came to all 12 teas would receive a pair of diamond earrings. Well, four of these girls are hardcore. They're coming with a stomach virus, fever, chills, broken limbs, etc., etc., etc. They say they are not missing for any reason. It's starting to worry me... alot. The 12th tea may have to be held in a secret location. If they can't find the tea, they can't attend. I hate for it to end on that note, but let's face it... these chicks need to learn when I'm joking!

The year 2009... a clean slate... a new beginning. Anything can happen. Anything is possible. Good or bad. It's a little intimidating. To be honest, I haven't been looking forward to New Year's for the past three years. We named 2006 "The Year of Josh's Illness." We named 2007 "The Year of Mom's Illnesses." We named 2008 "The Year of Accepting, Living and Dealing With All the Illnesses." But we haven't named 2009 yet. We'll just wait and see what these next few days and months bring. And looking back at the last three years, although the names have a lot of negativity in them, there have been many positives that have come about. I couldn't have said that in 2006 or 2007. It's not easy to say it in 2009, but it's comforting to know that as I write this, it's not just a bunch of words I feel like I need to say whether I mean them or not... I really do mean them. We've come a long way, baby... but we've got a long way to go.

I guess the most comforting thing about the unknown of the coming year is the fact that there are no surprises for God in 2009. He'll walk us through this year, just like he's walked us through all the other years... sometimes carrying us... sometimes pushing us, but always, always WITH us. My favorite verse when I was younger was Hebrews 13:5, but for a number of different reasons now, it is still the verse I turn to time and time again. "I will never desert you, nor will I ever forsake you." Whew! I needed to hear that! "I can do all things through Him who strengthens me," Philippians 4:13. Yes I can! "Do not be anxious about anything, but in everything, by prayer and petition with thanksgiving, present your requests to God. And the peace of God, which transcends all understanding, will guard your hearts and your minds in Christ Jesus," Philippians 4:6-7. If Mikie and I have learned anything during the past three years, it is we can not do it alone... and thankfully, we don't have to.

Yes, 2009 is full of unknowns, but I'm going through 2009 with Someone who isn't fearful, isn't timid, and isn't going to abandon me or my family. I think 2009 is going to be okay. I'll name it later, but for now, I'm just going to take it one day at a time. Today is January 1, 2009... and so far, it's been a pretty good day.

Now for our date.

Grandparent Double Date/Cooking

Plan an evening with your child, a grandmother, and an old family recipe. Ask the grandmother to carefully choose a dish that is unique to your family and make sure you buy all the ingredients required. Next, everyone dons an apron and gets busy! Give the child or teenager cooking responsibilities which are age-appropriate. Make sure the evening is filled with laughter, good food and conversation (especially from the grandmother) about the differences in each generation, family stories, etc.

Be sure to write the recipe on a card and start your child/teenager's own recipe box (even if she is as young as five or six). When she is a mother and grandmother one day, it will be amazing what memories that index card will hold. NOTE: Don't forget that cleaning up is just as important as the cooking!

Have a wonderful New Year's Day. I'll be back Friday with a book suggestion, and then next week we'll be getting into some real winter activities, traditions, recipes and such. Talk to you tomorrow!